


Ghost in the Machine

by Aishuu



Series: Tsumego [4]
Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Character Study, Characters That Never Meet in Canon, Community: temps_mort, Gen, Go Go Igo, Internet, Post-Series, cybersociology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-02-18
Packaged: 2018-03-13 15:04:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3386189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aishuu/pseuds/Aishuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone online is looking for information on Sai with a unique goal in mind. Several years after canon, Waya Yoshitaka chats with someone who may unknowingly provide the missing piece to the puzzle Sai has left behind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ghost in the Machine

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the theme "deus ex machina" in 32 minutes.

__  
I am looking for anyone with information on the go player known as “Sai.” Anyone who played him, observed his games, or has any of his kifu is encouraged to contact me.  
~ Kimihiro  


* * *

Three years after Waya became a pro, he found the message on a bulletin board while surfing the net.

Waya stared at the message thoughtfully. It had been a while since he had allowed himself to think of Sai, think of the incredible player who had only existed on the world of the net. On his computer he had nearly one hundred kifu stored from the games he had witnessed, those five summers ago, and occasionally studied them, but he had forced himself to put them away.

Sai was not coming back, he knew instinctively, so there was no point in dwelling on a secret he would never uncover.

Without allowing himself to make second guesses, he opened up an e-mail.

Within a day, Kimihiro had replied, his enthusiastic e-mail strangely thrilling to Waya. Waya had always believed that he had some kind of special connection with Sai, but he hadn’t realized that he was right. Kimihiro seemed very interested in his kifu collection, and wanted to arrange to chat online.

Waya couldn’t resist. It was late Thursday night, after his scheduled game, but he wondered exactly what Kimihiro was up to, bringing up Sai after so long.

His mouse moved smoothly as he opened the private chatroom, and waiting for the other to arrive.

* * *

Zelda: Hi.

Kimihiro: I’m really glad you agreed to meet me. You have the most complete collection of Sai kifu I’ve seen, and the most accurate. 

Zelda: How do you know they’re accurate?

Kimihiro: By comparing what kifu I’m sent. A lot of people were watching his games, and I’ve received records of the matches from a lot of them, but some have errors since at the time Sai was playing, there wasn’t a saving function and everything had to be transcribed to separate programs. Yours all seem to be perfect. They match most of the other kifu, and they make the most sense.

Zelda: Thanks. Why are you so interested in Sai?

Kimihiro: I’m a sociology major, specializing in cybersociology. 

Zelda: That’s a field?

Kimihiro: Yes. We study the behaviors of people online, and the society that is being created.

Zelda: What do you do with it?

Kimihiro: Web marketing mainly. The entire culture is shifting because of the presence of the internet in our lives and some people need to study the new society that have developed online. I want to do that.

Zelda: What’s Sai got to do with this?

Kimihiro: All societies have systems of beliefs. A majority of them have deity figures. 

Zelda: You think Sai is God?

Kimihiro: Not that exactly. But when I heard of him, I heard of him called the “Go Saint” on the net. That’s close to being a religious figure, don’t you think?

Zelda: I want to say that you’re crazy, but...

Kimihiro: There’s people who are larger than life. They tend to become legendary figures. Sai already has become one. I’m doing my thesis on him. He directly influenced the net world, and maybe even the “real” world. Rumor has it that Touya Kouyo retired in part because of him. Imagine - the Meijin retiring because of a netplayer! Think of the ramifications!

Zelda: Touya-sensei’s career has exploded since he freed himself of his title obligations. His Go has become young again. Least that’s what my sensei tells me.

Kimihiro: Sensei?

Zelda: I’m a professional go player. Many of the people Sai defeated were.

Kimihiro: I have a friend who became a go pro. 

Zelda: Really? Who?

Kimihiro: Shindou Hikaru. Do you know him?

Zelda: He’s in my study group! We’re good friends!

Kimihiro: Really? I haven’t seen him since I graduated junior high but I’ve been following his career. He’s doing really well.

Zelda: It’s funny you should bring him up while we’re talking about Sai. I once thought he was Sai.

Kimihiro: Why?

Zelda: Because he knew something I told Sai. And I thought I saw Sai in his Go which is ridiculous, because when he became an insei, he sucked.

Kimihiro: Shindou was very erratic. The first time I met him, he played a game worthy of a pro. Then he started playing like an amateur before creaming people at Kaio Junior High.

Zelda: That’s where Touya Akira went! 

Kimihiro: This was before. We snuck him onto our team as a sixth grader. He won. Touya was there, though. He was very impressed.

Zelda: We thought Shindou was lying when he said Touya was his rival. I will never understand that. Shindou sucked, then suddenly... BOOM!

Kimihiro: It was like he was learning how to play Go again, wasn’t it?

Zelda: Yes and sometimes when I play him, I still think of Sai.

Kimihiro: I wouldn’t put it past him. Now that I think on it, Shindou and I went to a Go exhibition around the time Sai first appeared. He was really interested in net gaming. I remember because he was having a hard time with the keyboard.

Zelda: You don’t think?

Kimihiro: I wouldn’t put anything passed Shindou. But the thing about legends is they ARE legends because they’re larger than life. Here’s the question, Zelda. Do you really want to know the truth about Sai?

Zelda: I don’t know anymore. It’s one thing to dream of the perfect player. It’s another entirely to be forced to realize he’s sitting right next you.


End file.
